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  • Was this even a fair fight? | Pop Recap #23

Was this even a fair fight? | Pop Recap #23

Was the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight even fair? What is Tate McRae's big announcement? Find out in this edition of the Pop Recap newsletter.

Author

Katrina
November 17, 2024

Happy Sunday everyone! It’s been a busy week in the world of pop culture! John Krasinski was crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Conan O’Brien is set to host the 2025 Oscars, Six Flags Great America is retiring Kingda Ka, and Saks Fifth Avenue is skipping their iconic holiday light show this year.

Let’s dive into all the must-know highlights from the past week!

🗞️ MAKING HEADLINES 🗞️

🥊Internet star Jake Paul and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson faced off in a highly anticipated match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, drawing 70,000 spectators and a record-breaking 120 million people streaming live on Netflix. The 27-year-old Paul defeated the 58-year-old Tyson after eight rounds. With their massive age gap…was this even a fair fight???

🔥People has named John Krasinski their 2024 Sexiest Man Alive. Like many other years, the internet has decided this is a controversial pick. What are your thoughts? Let me know on social media.

🏆Conan O’Brien is hosting the 97th Oscars. The ceremony is currently set for March 2, 2025.

🎢 Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey has announced its retiring its Kingda Ka rollercoaster. The 456 foot tall coaster was once the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in the world.

🎄Saks Fifth Avenue has revealed it will not be doing its annual holiday light show at its New York City flagship store this year due to budget cuts.

🌃Last night, Charli XCX hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live. Read a full recap of the episode here. Paul Mescal has been announced as the next host of the show on December 7. Shaboozey is set to join as musical guest.

👏🏽Thursday night, I had the opportunity to attend the HBCU Honors on the campus of Howard University. The awards ceremony honors alumni of historically black colleges and universities who are doing it big in their industries. This year, we celebrated inventor Dr. Lonnie G. Johnson, tech entrepreneur Jewel Burks Solomon and film producer Will Packer. MC Lyte, Fantasia, Hezekiah Walker and Erica & Krista Campbell were among the performers.

The ceremony airs on BET on December 1. Stay tuned for my coverage from the blue carpet as the show’s air date approaches.

🎥On Saturday, I attended the Washington D.C. premiere of A Wesley South African Christmas. The film stars Jasmine Guy, Dorien Wilson and Terrence “TC” Carlson, and it was filmed on-location in South Africa. It’s the perfect family movie to get you in the holiday spirit. Catch it on BET+ starting November 29.

In this edition...

🎥 FILM NEWS 🎥

🎭 THEATER NEWS 🎭

  • A Streetcar Named Desire starring Paul Mescal is headed off-Broadway! Performances begin February 28, 2025 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater.

  • Jinkx Monsoon is joining Ramin Karimloo and David Hyde Pierce in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance.

🎵 MUSIC NEWS 🎵

  • Tate McRae has announced her next album, So Close To What, will release on February 21, 2025. Plus! She’s taking the project on the road with her Miss Possessive Tour set to kick off in Portugal next May before heading to North America in August.

  • My Chemical Romance has announced The Black Parade Tour, set to kick off in Seattle next June. The band will be playing their 2006 album of the same name in full on the stadium tour.

  • Linkin Park has announced their From Zero Tour, set to kick off in Las Vegas, Nevada next April.

  • Jack White has announced his No Name Tour, set to kick off in St. Louis, Missouri next April.

  • Olivia Rodrigo is headlining BST Hyde Park with The Last Dinner Party and Girl in Red on June 27, 2025.

  • Bradley Simpson has announced his debut album The Panic Years will release on February 28, 2025.

📺 TELEVISION NEWS 📺

  • Lady Gaga is set to appear in Season 2 of Wednesday on Netflix.

  • Whoopi Goldberg has launched the All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN), the first global media channel dedicated exclusively to showcasing women’s sports.

  • Season 29 of The Bachelor, starring Grant Ellis, is set to premiere on January 27 on ABC.

  • A reboot of the early 2000s football drama Friday Night Lights is in early development at Universal Pictures.

  • Haley Lu Richardson is joining Emilia Clarke in the spy thriller Ponies on Peacock.

  • Sophie Turner is set to star in Amazon Prime’s Tomb Raider series.

  • A new trailer for Hulu’s Paradise, starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, has been released.

👍🏽 PICK OF THE WEEK 👍🏽

If you’re looking for new music to check out this week, I have two recommendations for you! First - Shawn Mendes is so back! His self-titled album Shawn is his first full project in four years and it’s well worth the wait. He’s back with a fine-tuned soft pop/folk sound that I feel is his best yet. My current favorite on the album is “Heart of Gold.”

Second - we’ve been in a girl group drought, but FLO is here to fix it! The British trio have finally released their debut album Access All Areas. They just dropped the music video for “In My Bag,” which is a catchy jam featuring GloRilla.

For television, I have to recommend you check out St. Denis Medical. I have been anticipating this show for a looooonnggg time so I was very excited when it finally aired. The NBC sitcom stars Allison Tolman, Mekki Leeper, and David Alan Grier. It’s a workplace mockumentary set in an Oregon hospital. Naturally it’s already gaining comparisons to shows like The Office, but I think it has the ability to stand on its own. For what it’s worth, two episodes of the show premiered last week and honestly, the second one is way better than the first, so if you try the pilot and don’t like it - keep going.

St. Denis Medical airs Tuesdays on NBC.

Also!! Season 6, Part 2 of Cobra Kai is now streaming on Netflix. I just finished catching up and all I can say is…it’s getting crazy. I won’t share any spoilers, but episode 10 finally features a brawl that is more chaotic than the one in the Season 2 finale. A third and final installment of five episodes to end the series will premiere in early 2025. I highly recommend binging the show before then if you haven’t seen it, as it’s one of the best reboots I’ve seen.

The next edition of Pop Recap will be out on Sunday.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of the Pop Recap newsletter! If you enjoyed it, make sure to share with a friend. Stay connected with the Pop Recap and Fan Fave community on social media.

xx Katrina